Why I prefer Typo3 and Wordpress

If you want to make a website, there are several considerations to take in to account.

Today most websites are based on a content management system (cms). That will make it easier for non technical people to maintain the website. With a cms it is not necessary to know anything about code to make at new page, edit text, add images etc. etc. You can also access the cms through a web browser, meaning you can make changes to your site from anywhere, as long as you are online.

There are a lot of cms available - about 400 different types, I believe. I have certainly not tried everyone - only a few. There are both very expensive commercial cms and many great open source cms out there. Open source means "free" - free to download and use. There are no licence fees to pay. The only expense is setting it up, configuration and design. And hosting.

I mainly use two different cms - one is Typo3 the other is Wordpress. They are distinctly different in their approach and use. But both are open source and both highly competent.

Typo3 is originally developed by a danish guy - Kaspar Skaarhoej. He started in 1998. so it's quite old and mature. Today a lot of the development is done in Germany. Many developers live there and the Germans seems to have taken it to their heart. Typo3 is widely used in Germany - also by some huge companies.

Why I prefer Typo3? I found Typo3 by coincidence. About 4-5 years ago, a partner and I where doing a web design job in another cms (Joomla) and early in the process we discovered that an important feature where not available. We had to make a quick decision, and changed to Typo3. I have stayed with it since then. There are several reasons.

The non-technical reason is the philosophy behind Typo3. Their slogan is "Inspiring people to share" - and I like that very much. Also I have met Kaspar Skaahoej on a couple of occasions, and I find him a very sympathetic, creative and intelligent person. He lives his life from values I can accept and respect - that also means something to me.

The technical reason is that Typo3 is very flexible. You can do so many things with it. It is possible to design very flexible templates and easy to control user access and permissions. There are also a great selection of extensions - making it possible to add to the functionality of Typo3's core functions. But are there no negative sides to Typo3? There probably is. Some people think it is complex to set up. I agree to a certain extend, but that is the price you have to pay for the flexibility. From a user point of view, some say that Typo3 also is too complex. But I disagree. It is very easy to configure what the user is allowed to do and how complex the admin section should be. It is highly customizable. And if you want freedom of choice and possibilities, a certain degree of complexity is necessary

Wordpress

Wordpress is very different from Typo3. It is primarily a blogging tool and it is the best in the business. It is relatively easy to set up, easy to use. It is also open source and a very mature product. So if you want to make a blog - and want to host it on your own domain Wordpress is a very good choice.

Best wishes

Jes Roger Petersen